The pain of the past
by ImUnderYourBedForAReason
Summary: not much was known about Eli Loker, especially his past, but when that past comes back so does a very special friend... along with all the trouble they got into. Could this mean life or death?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Lie to me, nor any of its characters. I only own my OC's and the plotline.**

 **Rated T for later chapters. Will mention adult themes and will include violence.**

 **My apologises for any spelling/grammar errors im not the best with them.**

 **On the slightest hope that someone reads this let me know what you think in the comments.**

 **Thanks!**

By half three in the afternoon, the Lightman group had given justice for the families of the victims that were murdered by a serial arsonist.

It had taken longer than most of their other cases, there were plenty of suspects, and too many good liars but it was proved for the nth time that the truth would prevail.

Dr Lightman himself had already left, though he had never admitted it out loud he needed to see his beloved daughter, Emily; she was the only one who could help him after a long gruelling case such as this one.

Ria Torres was next to escape, she loved her job however being stuck in her workplace with her colleges, let alone her boss for forty hours, could really take its toll.

Dr Foster was half way to her car when she realised she had left her coat in the Lab, sighing she turned on her heels and walked straight back into the building.

The staff members had adapted a much slower, relaxing pace ever since Lightman had left, Gillian wasn't to bothered about this, there was no other clients booked for that day, and only a few minor details had to be filled on some other previous cases, meaning paperwork.

She entered the lab and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair she had been sitting on ten minutes ago, when something caught the corner of her eye.

Since his desk had been taken away to encourage more field work, Eli Loker was sat cross-legged against the wall filling out his paperwork, mindlessly fiddling with a sliver chained necklace.

"You can go home, Loker." Foster softly called to him. Loker's head snapped up, he hadn't heard her come in at all. "Do that tomorrow." She offered.

Loker thought about it for a second, before glancing down to the sheet of paper resting on his knee. He was almost finished with it, and he'd rather not have to do it tomorrow.

"I almost finished with this, it will take me like ten minutes. Then I'll go home" He smiled, pursing her lips ever so slightly, Foster sighed and nodded.

"Okay but ten minutes and you'd better be gone, I'll be checking the cameras tomorrow"

A small smile, raised eyebrows, the amused tone: she was joking.

"Got it!" With on final look Foster left the building for the second time that afternoon.

Even when she was home, it was still playing on her mind. The necklace that Loker was fiddling with, she had seen it a few times over the past couple of years, she had seen him toy with it whenever he was frustrated and needed to think straight, or whenever he thought he was alone and no one could see him.

It wasn't until she when to bed, did she let it leave her mind.

Back at the Lightman group, Loker was still tucked away in the corner, however this time he was watching something on his computer, his bottom lips was quivering ever so slightly and for that he was glad no one was here to see his sorrow and his guilt. It was gone nine O'clock and everyone else had gone home hours ago.

He was right when he said that his paperwork would only take ten minutes to complete, but he had gotten pre-occupied with his current task.

He watched the old video footage he kept on his USB stick, the one he never left home without: even though he was worried he'd loose it often. This video was special to him, anyone could tell you that, but it was the reason why.

Not much was known of Eli Loker, not his past anyway. He had ran away from his abusive father when he was thirteen, just months after his mother's passing. His life on the streets was as typical as anyone else's, he pickpocketed, stole, got involved with dangerous people and feared that every day was going to be his last.

But he met someone a few years into his new life, the girl on the video he watches every single night. It was an unusual meeting, she was walking through the city, her bright red Burgan strapped to her back when someone grabbed her, Eli remembered every detail, how the man grabbed a tight hold of her arm, his sinister grin and he yanked her into the darkened ally way.

He ran to the girl, watching as she struggled against her soon-to-be attacker, possible rapist. He remembered shouting that he was a cop, making it look like he was going for a hidden gun, and the man ran, letting go of the girl he'd one day come to .. He wasn't going to think about that.

He asked her if she was okay, explaining that he wasn't really a cop, that he was homeless, like her. It was a good educated guess.

Loker replayed the video, he was too lost in his own thoughts to take it in, though he had memories every single detail already. Tears fell from his eyes, rolling down to his cheeks, that wasn't uncommon for him.

Without a second thought he snapped the laptop shut and yanked the USB out of its port. Then left, life still went on. As they say.

Over the next few weeks hundreds of cases pilled in, most of which were turned down. They were petty, and practically unpaying ' _she might be cheating on me' 'I think he's already married'_ and _'someone stole my dog'_ cases that wasn't worth the time of day.

To the Lightman group, it was going to be a dull boring day.

"I wish people could, you know, get a life sometimes!"

"Cal!"

"Why does everyone thing we're running a charity case or something."

"Dr Lightman!"

"Not now alright, I've got to deal with a bunch of bloody insufferable idiots."

"Dr Lightman please!"

"Fine what is it?" Cal sighed with his usual annoyed tone, turning to face his beloved partner and receptionist.

"You need to come see this." Turning on his heels, all three strutted to the main entrance.

"Something always comes our way doesn't it?" Cal Lightman complained. There was a very anxious young woman pacing at the front desk, asking for Eli Loker, who wasn't in yet and begging for help.

This woman was only in her early twenties, she was very dirty, greasy pulled back hair with a few bangs sticking out hidden beneath a woolly hat, dressed in a pair of old skinny torn jeans and a thick jumper along with fingerless gloves and combat boots.

She had a large purple bruise running across her cheek and a few red marks over her neck.

"Are you alright love?" Cal asked, Gillian pulled him back gently and approached the young woman herself. Extending her arm out, the woman took it with caution and immediately retracted.

"I'm Dr Foster, and this is Dr Lightman, what's your name?" Foster asked, the woman's eyes darted between the two.

"Alice." She whispered. "I need Eli"

"Okay Alice love, he'll be here soon don't worry. How about you go with Dr Foster here and she'll have a look at that bruise for you." Lightman offered, Alice took a caution-set back, before nodding and following Foster to the break room.

Cal watched Alice carefully, something was going on, or was going to happen, and Eli Loker was in the middle of it all.

Now he was interested.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where the hell is Loker?" Cal Lightman asked as soon as he entered the Lab, Torres spun on her chair to face him.

"He was stuck in traffic, he'll be here in five minutes-ish."

"Pull up the video footage from the front desk, when our lovely Alice came in."

"Who's Alice?"

"I have no idea." Ria played back to footage, seems Alice had come in about twenty minutes ago. "Pause it, go back a few frames… there!"

"There what?"

"Well look at her, she's fiddling with her hands, she's pacing around, looking for the cameras…. Anxious, nervous."

"Yeah and here look." Torres zoomed in on Alice's face. "What's that Shame, guilt?"

"I think it's both." Cal looked to Torres, worry creeping on his face. "I've got a bad feeling that Alice is going to cause a lot of trouble for us."

"Or me." The duo turned around, backs straight to see Eli staring up at the screen, with a guilt ridden face. "I need to take a few days of, if she's here then I'd rather not get you involved."

"Involved with what?"

"Where is she?"

"That's deflection, Loker." Torres stated, crossing her arms. Lightman whistled to him signalling him to follow.

"So how do you know Loker?" Foster ask Alice, while treating the cuts on her face.

"I've known him for a while. We practically grew up together."

"Oh you lived in the same neighbourhood?" Gillian smiled

"I guess you could say that."

"What do you mean?" Before Alice could answer, not that she would, a knock came from the door of the break room.

"Um hi, I Ria Torres" Torres half-hearted waved to the homeless girl. "Lightman wants you two in his office when you're finished up here."

"Okay thanks." Ria left after giving a second glance at Alice.

"Is Eli there?" Alice stood up, declaring herself healed. "I need to speak with him now"

"Oh right okay."

Once it became apparent what room what Dr Lightman's office was, Alice quickly barged in without a second thought.

To Alice and Eli, time stood still, not one single word was spoken as their eyes latched on to each other. It was like there was no one else in the world but each other, like othing else could ever matter to either one of them again.

Eli took a step towards her, slowly moving closer and closer.

"Oh my … Alice?" That was enough to make the tears fall, Alice ran to him tackling him in a hug, both fighting to make theirs mean so much more. Eli didn't care about her behind dirty, he didn't care about the smell, it wasn't as if she could help it, but he still buried his face into her shoulder and neck.

To him she still smelt like strawberries.

"God I've missed you." He cried, kissing her cheek. She winced in pain. "What... What happened to you?" He pushed out of the hug to hold on to her face, inspecting the damage that wasn't completely patched up.

"It's nothing, nothing it doesn't matter right now." She whispered, copying his movements to hold his face, stoking the tears away. "I've missed you too."

"Well she's telling the truth." Lightman interrupted, the pair snapped out of their daze to look to him and foster, who was both sitting at his desk. "So when was the last time you saw each other then?"

"Cal I Don't think that's any of your business." Foster defended.

"Yeah but you've got to wonder don't know." Lightman stood up, turning his back on Foster and studying the two in front of him. Loker was starting to get a bit pissed off, not that it wasn't uncommon with him when it came to his boss. But loker knew Lightman knew when they had last seen each other.

"What are you so angry about Loker?" It sounded like ore of a taunt than and actual question.

"You know damn well when the last time we seen each other was."

"And here I thought I'd done you a favour?" Loker looked away. Guilt.

"I'm sorry I don't quite follow." Cal looked back and forth between the two ' _love birds'_ and Foster, before moving to close the door.

"Well come on Loker, tell us a story eh?" Cal grinned. Eli looked to Alice, glancing an apology to her for Dr Lightman's behaviour.

He looked up to Gillian. "When I was around thirteen I ran away from home, I lived on my own for a few years then I met Alice, she had ran away as well but she'd only been on the streets for a few weeks. We stayed with each other for just over four years, you know getting into trouble like stealing together and that-" Eli looked to Alice smirking. "- Then Dr Lightman found me, apparently I had a knack for spotting liars and reading people, though I wasn't gifted like Torres. He offered me an education and a job."

"And I told him to take it" Alice added, sadness crept in her eyes. "we haven't seen each other since."

"That's terrible, why didn't you keep in contact?" Foster asked. Eli looked almost confused at that question, but Alice looked away. More guilt.

"I had to move on, reasons I can't say and I've only been back in town a few weeks."

"Just a few weeks?" Lightman asked, a small smirk on his face. Alice didn't reply to that.

"Anyway why im here is none of your business, it's between me and Eli, he'll need to take a few days off."

"None of my business, love you're the one who showed up here in a fit of hysterics. You made it my business the moment you walked through that door." Eli quickly stood up.

"Dr Lightman she's right this has nothing to do with you. Please I just need a few days."

Cal looked back and Gillian, she looked concerned but gestured to let him have some time off.

"Fine! But back here Monday morning, got it?" Eli nodded, taking Alice's hand and her Burgan they left without a second glance back.


End file.
